A GUIDE TO THE U.S. COURT SYSTEM

A good understanding of our nation's court system is essential to appreciate the role the courts play in protecting civil rights.

TWO PARALLEL SYSTEMS
The United States has two separate court systems: the federal court system and the state court system.

The United States Constitution authorized Congress to create a federal court system authorized to hear both cases involving residents of different states and cases "arising" under either the Constitution or federal law. Any law or treaty passed by Congress is considered a "federal law."

 

In addition to the federal court system, each state has its own state court system to decide cases involving state residents and state law. Each state court system is organized differently, but most have many lower courts authorized to hear all kinds of cases, and then a high court the decisions of which are binding on all other courts on matters of state law.

THE FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM
The District Courts -entrances to the federal system
Federal district courts are the trial courts of the federal system. The district courts have jurisdiction to hear nearly all categories of federal cases, including both civil and criminal matters.

There are 94 federal judicial districts including at least one district in each state. Each district includes a Unites States bankruptcy court as a unit of the district court. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands have district courts that hear federal cases, including bankruptcy cases.

If someone has a dispute with a resident of a different state or a dispute involving the Constitution or federal law, or if someone has committed a federal crime, then their case will be heard initially in the district court closest to where they live. There are many federal district court judges who oversee trials and issue decisions at this level. Although the opinions of these judges are important in individual cases, their decisions can be appealed to the Circuit Courts of Appeal.  During an appeal, attorneys ask the judges of a higher court to review the legal decision of a lower court judge.

The Appellate Courts -the middle of the federal system
Cases from the 94 federal districts are heard by twelve federal appellate courts. An appellate court does not conduct trials, but instead reviews the legal decisions of district courts.  An appellate court can order new trials at the lower court level if it finds problems with a lower court trial.  A court of appeals hears appeals from all the district courts located within its circuit, as well as appeals from decisions of federal administrative agencies.

The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit hears appeals of cases originating in Washington, D.C and also has nationwide jurisdiction to hear appeals in specialized cases, such as those involving patent law. The other eleven appellate courts hear cases originating in their geographic area.  The opinions of an appellate court are binding as law in the appellate court's geographic area.  Because of this, appellate decisions are very important in determining how federal law is applied to citizens in a certain area.  Although the Supreme Court can overturn Appellate court decisions, of the thousands of cases heard by appellate courts every year, the Supreme Court re-decides only a select few.  Citizens should therefore know what Appellate Circuit they live in, and become familiar with the Appellate judges who determine how federal law applies in their area.

Use the following table to find out which Circuit court's decisions shape the law in your area:

First Circuit 1. Maine 2. Massachusetts 3. New Hampshire 4. Puerto Rico 5. Rhode Island	Second Circuit 1. Connecticut 2. New York 3. Vermont	Third Circuit 1. Delaware 2. New Jersey 3. Pennsylvania 4. Virgin Islands
Fourth Circuit 1. Maryland 2. North Carolina 3. South Carolina 4. Virginia 5. West Virginia	Fifth Circuit 1. Louisiana 2. Mississippi 3. Texas	Sixth Circuit 1. Michigan 2. Ohio 3. Kentucky 4. Tennessee
Seventh Circuit 1. Wisconsin 2. Illinois 3. Indiana	Eighth Circuit 1. North Dakota 2. South Dakota 3. Nebraska 4. Minnesota 5. Iowa 6. Missouri 7. Arkansas	Ninth Circuit 1. Arizona 2. California 3. Nevada 4. Idaho 5. Oregon 6. Washington 7. Montana 8. Alaska 9. Hawaii 10. Guam 11. Mariana Islands
Tenth Circuit 1. New Mexico 2. Utah 3. Colorado 4. Wyoming 5. Kansas 6. Oklahoma	Eleventh Circuit 1. Florida 2. Alabama 3. Georgia	D.C. Circuit 1. District of Columbia 2. Special federal law questions

Cases at the appellate level are usually heard by panels of three judges, and a majority vote decides the case. Each circuit has a different number of judges, depending on the number of cases it is asked to decide each year. The Ninth Circuit, for example, hears cases from the most judicial districts so it has the most judges.

Every judge on a federal appellate court is appointed by the President of the United States for a life term. Each Presidential nominee, however, before becoming a judge, must be confirmed by a majority of Senators, as is required in the Constitution. 

The Supreme Court: The top of the federal system
The highest court in the United States is the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice and eight associate justices.  After an appellate court issues an opinion, one of the parties to the case may petition the Supreme Court, asking for review of the appellate decision. The Court, at its discretion, decides to hear a limited number of the cases it is asked to decide. The cases usually involve important questions about the Constitution or federal law.

The Supreme Court is considered the highest court of the land because the decisions it makes must be followed as law by all other federal courts, including the Appellate Courts and the District Courts.